Railway construction.



-PATENTE'D APR. 11, 1905.

0 S SEITZ I RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. v AP-PLIOATIONIVILED no. 19 190 IUNITED STATES Patented April 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. SEITZ, OF TIFFIN, OHIO.

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,003, dated April11, 1905.

Application filed December 19, 1904. Serial No. 237,515.

To wZl whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. SEITZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tiflin, in

the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented a new and usefulRailway Construcerally for the purpose of changing to and from a narrowgage and also to accommodate rails of different widths.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved formof cross-tie for the support of the rails and arranged to facilitate thetamping of ballast into and around the tie.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the ac-' companying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form,- proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portionof a cross-tie of the present invention with a rail in section connectedthereto by the means of the present invention, a portion of the tiebeing broken away to disclose the rail-fastening means. Fig. 2 is across-sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetail perspective view of one end portion of the crosstie of thepresent invention. Fig. 4c is a detail perspective view of theanchor-plate or lower clamp member of the rail-fastening. Fig. 5 is adetail perspective view of the upper clamp memberof the rail-fasteningmeans. Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modification.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each andevery figure of the drawings.

Referring at first more particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it willbe seen that the cross-tie of the present invention is rectangular andhollow in the nature of a channelbar, including a fiat base 1,upstanding sides 2, and external longitudinal base-flanges 3, the outerlongitudinal edges of which are inclined or flared upwardly, asindicated at 4;. At corresponding intervals from each end of the tie theupstanding sides 2 have corresponding portions 5 cleft therefrom andbent inwardly to produce internal substantially horizontal flanges,which constitute a depressed seat for the reception of a rail,(designated 6 in Figs. 1, 2, and 6 of the drawings) As is best indicatedin Fig. 2 of the drawings, the advantage of this form of cross-tie willbe understood, for it permits of the ballast 7 being placed within thetie, as well as upon the external base-flanges 3, the upwardly flared ordeflected edges of the latter operating to more effectually retain theballast upon the flanges than if the latter were entirely flat, while atthe same time the upwardly-in clined edges of the flanges permit of theballast being tamped beneath the flanges, thereby to embed the latter inthe ballast, and thus insure a strong and durable anchoring of the tie.

For connecting the railto the tie I employ.

upper and lower clamp members 8 and 9, re-

spectively, of which the lower member 9 is in the nature of a flatsubstantially oblong plate or bar of a width to fit between the sides ofthe tie and underlap the flanges or rail-seat members 5 and of a lengthto project at opposite edges of the base of the rail. one end of themember being formed into an upstanding hook 10 to embrace the adjacentedge of the base of the rail, while its other end is provided with abolt-opening 11, located outwardly from the opposite edge of the base ofthe rail. The upper clamp member 8 rests'upon the rail-seat members 5and is provided with an upwardly-inclined tongue or extension 12 to lieupon the top of the adjacent base portion of the rail, the oppositeedges of the clamp 13, which externally embrace opposite sides of thetie. Upon the upper side of the clamp member 8 there is a boss 14, whichis pierced by a bolt-opening 15, in alinement with the bolt-opening 11of the lower clamp member 9, there being a bolt 16 passed through thesebolt-openings with its head lying against the under side of the lowermember 9 and a nut 17 fitted to its upper end and bearing against theboss 14. It will here be noted that the bolt 16 is inclined to thevertical, and therefore the upper face of the boss 14 is given theproper inclination to permit of the nut 17 fitting flat thereagainst,and the under side of the lower clamp member 9 is provided with acam-shaped boss 18, arranged to have the head of the bolt engaged flatthereagainst. As clearly indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will benoted that one longitudinal edge of the base of the rail, preferablythat which is at the outer side of the track, engages the correspondingupstanding shoulders 19, formed by the displacement of the tie portions5, thereby to prevent outward lateral displacement of the rail under theweight of passing trains, while the outer end of the upper clamp member8 engages the corresponding shoulders 20 of the tie, so as topreventinward displacement.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that the bolt 16 passesthrough the clamping members only at one side of the rail and betweenthe rail seat members 5, whereby neither the rail nor the tie isweakened by bolt-openings and the two clamp members can be readily drawntogether by tightening the nut 17 when it is necessary to take uplooseness in the clamp members occasioned by wear. Moreover, the rail isconneeted to the tie by reason of the lower clamp member 9 underlappingthe rail-seat members 5, while the book 10 thereof and the portion 12 ofthe upper clamp member embraces the top of the base of the rail, therebyto eflectually retain the latter seated snugly upon the seat members 5.1f desired, the wooden block 21 may be placed within the tie and againstthe under side of the lower clamp member 9, so as to in a measure deadenthe noise occasioned by the passage of carwheels.

It is preferred to locate the bolt 16 at the inner side of the rail,with the outer edge of the base-flange engaging the shoulders 19,adjacen't the outer end of the tie, as the shoulders will effectuallyprevent lateral outward displacement of the rail by the pressure ofwheel-flanges, while the rail-clamping members at the inner side of therail are intended to prevent outward tilting of the rail under the samestrains.

The rail-seat is of course somewhat wider than the base of the widestrail to accommodate the body portion of the upper clamp member 8 andalso to accommodate rails of diiferent widths and to permit of a railbeing shifted inwardly, so as to decrease the gage of the track whenevernecessary, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings In this figure therail 6 and the cross-tie are the same as hereinbefore described; but thelower clamp member 22 is not provided with a hook, but is provided ateach end with a boss 23 upon its under side, which is pierced by thebolt-opening 24, and in the place of the book 10 there is another upperclamp member, 25, which is a duplicate of the opposite clamp member 8and is connected to the lower clamp member in the same manner. With thisconstruction the clamp member which is at the outer side of the rail ofcourse engages the adjacent upright shoulder of the rail-seat, so as tobe braced against the strains occasioned by the pressure ofwheel-flanges, while the other clamp member may or may not engage theother shoulder, according to the width of the rails.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. Thecombination of a hollow tie having an open top with opposite internallongitudinal flanges, a rail extending across the flanged portion of thetie, upper and lower clamp members embracing the base of the rail andthe flanges of the tie and projected beyond the rail, and an uprightfastening piercing the clamp members at one side of the rail and capableof adjustment to take up wear.

2. The combination of a hollow tie having an open top with correspondingportions cleft from the opposite sides of the tie and bent inwardly toform rail-seat members, a rail supported upon the seat members, upperand lower clamp members embracing the base of the rail and the rail-seatmembers and projected beyond the rail, and a fastening piercing theclamp members at one side of the rail and adjustable to take up wear.

3. The combination of a hollow tie having an open top with oppositeinternal longitudinal flanges, a rail upon the flanged portion of thetie, a lower clamp member undcrlapping the flanges and projected to oneside of the rail, an upper clamp member overlapping the base of the railand the projected portion of the lower clamp member and provided withpendent flanges embracing the tie, and an upright fastening piercing theclamp member at one side of the rail and capable of adjustment to takeup wear.

4:. The combination of a tie having an open top with portions cleft fromopposite sides thereof and bent inwardly to form rail-seat members, arail supported upon the seat mem bers and engaging the correspondingshoulders at one side of the seat, and clamping means embracing the baseof the rail and seat members and engaging the shoulders at the otherside of the seat.

5. The combination of a hollow tie having an open top with portionscleft from opposite sides thereof and bent inwardly to form depressedrail-seat members, a rail supported upon the seat members with its baseengaging the shoulders at one side of the seat, railclamping meansembracing the base of the rail and the seat members and engaging theshoulders at the other side of the seat, and fastening means piercingthe clamping members at one side of the rail and capable of adjustmentto take up wear.

6. The combination of a hollow tie having internal flanges, a railsupported upon the flanged portion of the tie, a lower clamp memberunderlying the flanges and provided with a hook embracing one edgeportion of the base of the rail and projected at the opposite side ofthe rail, a clamp member engaging the upper. face of the other side ofthe base of the rail and the adjacent portion of the lower clamp member,and an upright fastening piercing the two clamp members at one side ofthe rail and capable of adjustment to take up wear. I

7. The combination of a-hollow tie having portions cleft from oppositesides thereof and bent inwardly to form depressed seat members withshoulders at opposite sides thereof, a rail supported upon the seatmembers and engaging the shoulders at one side thereof,

a lower clamp member underlying the seat.

members with one end provided with a hook em bracing one side of thebase of the rail with its other end projected beyond the rail, an upperclamp member engaging the upper face of the other side of the base ofthe rail and the other shoulders of the seat, and a fastening piercingthe clamp members at one side of the rail and capable of adjustment totake up wear.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a tie in the form of a channel-barhaving an open top and provided with opposite external longitudinalbase-flanges having their outer edges flared upwardly and outwardly.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a tie in the form of a channel-barhavinga closed bottom and an open top, corresponding portions of theupper edges of the opposite sides of the tie being cleft and bentinwardly to form depressed seat members and the base of the tie ingpiercing the clamp members at one side of the rail and capable ofadjustment to take up wear.

11. The combination of a tie provided with opposite longitudinalflanges, a rail extending across the flanged portion of the tie, upperand lower clamp members embracing the base of the rail and the flangesof the tie, and an upright fastening piercing the clamp members andcapable of adjustment to take up wear.

12. The combination of a hollow tie having corresponding portions cleftfrom opposite sides thereof and bent into substantially horizontalflanges, a rail supported across the tie at the flanged portion thereof,upper and lower clamp members embracing the base of the rail and theflanges, and fastening means piercing the clamp members and capable ofadjustment to take up wear.

13. The combination of a tie having a longitudinal flange, a rail seatedacross the flanged portion of the tie, a lower clamp member eX- tendingacross the under sideof the flange with one end provided with means toembrace the adjacent end of the flange and the adjacent edge of the baseof the rail, the opposite end of the clamp member being projected beyondthe opposite side of the rail, an upper clamp member embracing the baseof the rail and the projected portion of the lower clamp memher, and afastening piercing the projected portions of the clamp members andadjustable to take up wear.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES S. SEITZ.

Witnesses:

EMERY A. SP RRIER, TI-IOMAs E. CLAY.

